Google has been watching startups get ahead of the company with various blockchain projects, but now it has decided to take a major step. Citing credible sources, Bloomberg is reporting that Google is planning to create its own blockchain and offer cloud and transactional services through it. “The Alphabet Inc. unit is developing its own distributed digital ledger that third parties can use to post and verify transactions,” said one of the sources. Google cloud platform offers various products in computing, storage, networking and other tools. While the company promises security through Identity-Aware Proxy and multiple factor authentication, centralized computing network still poses a...

There are always intriguing developments taking place in the cryptocurrency world. Bitmain, the world’s leading cryptocurrency mining hardware manufacturer, wants to invest in startups. That in itself is not surprising, but the company’s end goal is a bit of a surprise. They seemingly aim to create private central banks on top of blockchain technology. It is evident the terms “central bank” and “cryptocurrency” do not mix all that well. In fact, these terms are almost mutually exclusive, especially in a positive manner. That hasn’t kept companies from trying to build their own blockchain-based bank solutions, though. For some reason, Bitmain...